“There is nothing better than the feel of you in me body.” Heat exploded across her face as she realized what she’d said.
But her embarrassment faded the instant she saw the warm, satisfied look on his face.
He gave her a light kiss, then withdrew. He rolled over onto his back and gathered her into his arms.
Cameron draped herself over his chest and listened to his heart pounding under her cheek. The deep thud was so incredibly soothing. How she wished she could lie like this forever.
She traced circles around his chest and toyed idly with his nipples.
“You keep doing that,” he said huskily, “and neither of us will leave this place.”
Cameron was beginning to think that she wouldn’t mind spending eternity here with him. And that thought terrified her. He made it so easy to forget herself.
To forget everything.
If only she could.
But all too soon they hunted down their clothes and dressed, then swam back to the palace, where Kalder retrieved her dry jacket to wrap around her before they immediately ran into a section of the crew that had been searching for her since she’d followed after Kalder.
Rosie let out a relieved breath at the sight of them before he called out for the others. “Cameron’s not dead yet!”
She scowled at him. “I beg your pardon?”
He shrugged unrepentantly. “Our natural assumption was that something here had eaten you, given that all we found of you was your coat.”
“Oh.” Cameron prayed there was no color in her cheeks overthatremark, especially as she remembered some of what Kalder had done with her. Harder still was resisting the sudden urge to not look at Kalder and see his reaction to those words.
Yet luckily she managed not to give in to her temptation and betray their tryst.
Until Paden stormed toward her and took her roughly by the arm. “Where the devil have you been? We’ve searched everywhere for you! Have you any idea how scared I’ve been?”
Grimacing, she jerked her arm free of his tight grasp and pushed him back. “Kalder was touring me around the city.”
“Why are you sopping wet, then?”
“We went for a swim.”
“You can’t swim! You don’t know how.” Paden glared at Kalder.
That set off Kalder’s anger in turn. “If you’re questioning the lady’s honor, then I’ll be taking it from your hide, man. And your teeth! Now, you apologize to your sister!”
“Me? I’m not the one what took her out alone. Unchaperoned, I might add. If you care so much for her sterling reputation, then you needs be minding it, you bloody wanker bastard, and not blighting it every chance you get by dragging it through the mud like you’ve gone and done every tart and whore-slag you’ve come across!!”
“Here now! ’Nough of that what with the both of you, or I’ll be playing conkers with your bullocks!” Devyl stepped between them,then faced Paden first. “For the record, mate, his people can share air with us, and allow us to breathe beneath the seas as if we were born to it, same as they. I’ve seen them do it. If he says they swam, then ’tis so. There’s no reason to doubt it, and you’ve even less reason to doubt someone as honest and forthright as your sister. I trust Kalder, Captain Jack. Completely. And of all people alive, you ought to be putting faith in Miss Jack.”
A tic started in Paden’s jaw. “Cammy, I trust implicitly. Him’s another matter entirely, and then some. I don’t like him keeping company with me baby sister. At all. Especially not alone when no one’s around what to be watching him, and his wandering male body parts, as ifIdon’t know well enough what they’re capable of when left unsupervised by a third party. And not after all the stories what I’ve heard about him, while we’ve searched.”
Cameron gaped at her brother.
Bart stepped forward quickly. “Well, there’s been no harm, aside from the time we’ve slaughtered. So, now that we’ve located the lass, and proven false Paden’s cannibalism allegations about the Myrcians, I say we join the party, as wewereinvited to it, and play nice with the merpeople until they decide to throw us out. Aye? Who’s with me?”
Devyl nodded in agreement. “Why not? We might as well go and give them more reasons to dislike and mistrust us.”
Mara scoffed at her husband’s dour tone and dire prediction. “You’re all incorrigible.”
“But notice the lady doesn’t discount what we say,” William said loudly to Bart.
“That’s ’cause the Lady Marcelina knows it’s truth we be speaking, and what not.”
